Lookin' good, Spud! And I agree - brave man! I would not ride through that mud unless I absolutely had to. I won't take a mud bath even at a spa! (not that I've been to such a spa...but I digress.) :hehe:

BTW, does the center stand work with the 21" wheel? Or are both wheels now touching the ground?

I did bypass the mud, where possible. ;) However, the elevated, rough terrain by the side of the road sometimes makes it mandatory to traverse the mud. I frequently ride over muddy roads in the spring and fall, so I have a pretty good idea when I can trust the tires, and when I cannot. ;)

The center stand works with the 21-inch front wheel, but you must place a board beneath the two legs of the center stand. If you do this, the center stand still lofts the rear wheel, and performs the same as it did with the 18-inch front wheel. I am going to weld two steel pads to the legs of the center stand.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Indeed, the "greasy" mud is the worst. If you drop the bike, you can't even stand, so you must kneel in the mud to wrestle the bike back up on two wheels. :wtf:

Here are a few photographs from today's ride. I am very much continuing to enjoy the 21-inch front wheel. :tup:

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pskqdi6qzb.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psdoixn4gu.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psymbllfrg.jpg

It's unfortunate the C858 tires are no longer sold in the United States. Fortunately, I stocked up on them for about $27/tire as the inventory was disappearing. ;) The C858 tire tread is aggressive enough to handle very muddy terrain, yet the tread doesn't reduce your cruising speed on the highways. Here are some more photographs from my last several days of riding.

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psfjzhcyxd.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psupxxtgnb.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psyhdr3ggy.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pseumlithf.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psgz1zlowp.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psvzvnjwth.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psvfitdkbk.jpg

After my stock of C858 tires is depleted, I would like to try the IRC, TR8 front tire, in size 3.00-21.

http://www.irc-tire.com/en/mc/produc...l/tr8/tire.jpg

http://www.irc-tire.com/en/mc/products/dual/tr8/

I have mounted the following front tires on several of my motorcycles, and they also perform very well.

Shinko 524: size 80/100-21

http://shinkotireusa.s3.amazonaws.co...5-soft-int.jpg

http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/524-525-series

Shinko 520: size 80/100-21

http://shinkotireusa.s3.amazonaws.co...es/520-int.jpg

http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/520

CST Surge I (C7209): size 80/100-21

http://www.csttires.com/int/wp-conte..._F-211x592.png

http://www.csttires.com/int/moto/off...c7209-surge-i/

Spud,

What did you use for spokes? After my ride a few weeks ago I want to get a little more ground clearance and the 21" swap sounds like the ticket.

I ordered custom spokes from Buchanan's Spoke & Rim.

http://www.buchananspokes.com/catego...spoke_sets.asp

After the 21-inch, custom spokes arrived, I disassembled the front wheel. Then I laced a size 1.60-21, Warp9 rim to the front hub with the custom spokes. I trued the wheel with my Park Tool, TS-7M truing stand.

http://www.parktoolmotorcycle.com/as.../TS-7M_002.jpg

I continue to enjoy riding with the 21-inch front wheel. Here are a few photographs from my last two rides.

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pslhdrwapu.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pslvyum59a.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psskhnkciq.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psvbhslc1t.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pshbxcemda.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psuurfynqr.jpg

I'm glad that 21" is working out for you as hoped, Spud!...and truth be told, visually it looks really neat on the RX3. If I did much more dirt, I'd like this upgrade. 90% of my riding is paved twisties and I've found the stock rim along with the stock tire is a very capable combo in our situation.....but not near as cool looking! ;-)

great work. i also want to raise my bikes height. can you please tell me how did u raise ur rear shock ? and how much did it rise?

Thanks

that 524 front looks like it may work.... pitty it dosn't come in 100/100/21
or 90/100/21..... 80/100/21 is just a bit tiny...

I did not raise the rear shock. I only increased the front wheel from 18-inches to 21-inches.

Here are some photos from my recent rides.
http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psiyjuhozz.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pswoe9bij1.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psjovlokrx.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...pse7rqd7pr.jpg

The Shinko 524 tire is superb; it will keep you upright in the sloppiest conditions. :tup:

The Shinko 520 also does an excellent job in mud, and wears very well after much punishment in the rocks. :tup:

I bet that thing will crawl in and out of those washout no problemo now with that big front. I'm curious to know how it has picked up your wot top speed with the larger wheels.

:hi:

Without a doubt, the 21-inch front wheel performs much better in rough riding conditions than the stock, 18-inch front wheel. ;) Also, I now have an expansive choice of aggressive tire treads available with the 21-inch front wheel.

Undoubtedly the rolling friction of the narrower, 2.75-inch tire is less than the rolling friction of the stock, 4-inch (100 mm) tire. However, I can't say I have noticed any appreciable difference in WOT top speed. ;)

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...psxb0zogkm.jpg